WMU official to testify on sports agent legislation

Feb. 25, 2002

KALAMAZOO -- Two athletic department officials from WMU are
expected to travel to the state capital of Lansing on Tuesday
morning to support legislation to control the activities of professional
sports agents.

Jeffrey A. Stone, associate athletic director for compliance
and academic services, is scheduled to testify at 9 a.m. Feb.
26 before the Commerce Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives.
Stone will support passage of HB 4857, also known as the "Athlete
Agents Licensure Act" and the "Uniform Athlete Agent
Act." Paul DeVries, the WMU athletic department's director
of compliance, is expected to accompany Stone to the hearing.

Says Stone, "The Uniform Athlete Agent Act is designed
to establish similar regulations across all states governing
the conduct of sports agents. It mainly provides for registration
of agents and establishes penalties for violations."

Earlier this month, WMU President Elson S. Floyd wrote a letter
to members of the state legislature supporting enactment of the
athlete agents legislation.

In his testimony, Stone is expected to note that there are
12 universities in Michigan that sponsor Division I sports, creating
a large pool of potential professional athletes relative to most
other states. Five Michigan universities play Division I-A football,
and three of those schools--Michigan, Michigan State and Western
Michigan--also sponsor Division I men's basketball, baseball
and ice hockey, all sports with considerable professional influence.

"The NCAA has encouraged individual states to pass this
kind of legislation," says Stone, "and I suspect that
every Division I university in the state will come out in support
of this bill."